Toyota RAV4 Burns Oil

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I am ready to get started with the law suit. We might as well jump in while they are dealing with the Rear Lower Suspension Arm recall. How do we get started. Do you know of a lawyer that could advise us how to get started?

Hi, my story is similar to all of yours. My 2007 RAV4 engine seized a week after my wife noticed the oil light flicker on (96000 miles). At that time I had to add over 4 quarts of oil so I knew I was in trouble, it was bone dry. Mind you, I serviced my vehicle in reasonable intervals and never had a sign that anything was wrong (no dash lights, no oil leaks, no overheating, nothing!).Dead one week later. I had a used engine installed before I realized there was a TSB about oil consumption ($6100). Other options included $12000 new engine and $9000 for a new short block, both of which exceeded the vehicle value. When I asked how much they would give me for a trade-in as is, they suggested $1500. I was shocked to say the least.Now I come to find out that the replacement engine was manufactured in the same date range as the suspect engines listed in the TSB.I tried to reason with TCS but I am outside of warranty and they said they wouldn't help offset the cost because I didn't have my vehicle serviced by Toyota. I even tried sueing the dealership in small claims court, but they claimed that they had no obligation to tell the owner about the TSB and the warranty is a manufacturer issue (so I lost). I went as far as to write a letter directly to the President of Toyota in Japan (Twice). Unfortunately, these just ended up back at the Corporate office in California where the customer support team resides.I am extremely frustrated and when dealing directly with an Executive Analyst from the Toyota corporate office, I was mislead and finally offered a minimal amount as a peace offering as long as I signed a waiver to any future action (and I can't discuss the details of it outside of family).So, that's where I am today...to sign or not to sign? That is the question. As a customer, I mean nothing to them, but I'm desparate for any cost assistance. I don't know if there is enough people complaining to actually move forward in a class action suit.Fact, the Toyota 2AZ-FE engine was redsigned in 2007 with thinner piston rings and different piston design. There were other design changes but these are the ones that created the oil consumption problem. Fact, the TSB-0094-11 is directly related to the bad design. The repair includes replacing postons and rings (coincidence?)Fact, The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act makes it illegal for this manufacturer to claim that because service was perfiormed outside of Toyota, the warranty is void.Fact, my 2007 RAV4 was defective from day one so that is before any warranty period.Fact, the District Service and Parts Manager (DSPM) decided not to help support my repair without ever looking at my vehicle. Getting in touch with this DSPM was a challenge in itself (untouchable). He finally called after almost 4-weeks from my request from day one in the shop, just to tell me I'm SOL.So, Toyota knows about a problem, ignores pleas for help and has the airogance to suggest that my engine failed because I didn't have it serviced by them.So, guess who's out of luck? Me and all of you. I never thought I was going to give up this fight but they are Goliath and I'm not David.

I just pulled the dip stick last night and found the level just barely reading on the tip of the stick. It took about 1 quart to get it to almost halfway up stick scale. I noticed over a year ago that I was down on oil between changes and at changes,which I do myself and I keep all receipts. I have approx 7 months and 5k miles left on 60mnth/60k warranty.

Sitting next to my RAV4 in the driveway is my 01 Chrysler Voyager with 112k. I pulled it's dip stick and it read about 3/4 full and I changed both vehicles oil on the same day....so much for paying extra for Toyota Quality (

After all the hassle, engine in this car was fixed by dealer.However, my joy lasted only about 4 weeks. Sometime during week 5, I observed that oil level dropped again. By the end of week 6 it was down by almost 0.5 L or in other words it was half-way between max and min mark on the oil stick.

So I am back to square one, running through consumption tests,and growing in disappointment of Toyota. FYI, this car was manufactured in Japan. Millage is less then 45 000 miles.Dealer is not even sure if the warranty on the fix is 60 or 90 days !

To add more, 7 days after my last visit at dealership service, for oil consumption check and refill, I discovered that there is too much oil in the engine. They overfill !They overfilled by about 0.5 L ! Why ???

My story (2007 Rav4) starts out the same as everyone else's - oil light comes on at around 60K miles, need to add oil frequently, consumption test, etc.

Fortunately I had purchased this vehicle from a private seller in 2008, and he had originally purchased a premium extended warranty policy. Everything is covered up to 100K miles with "0" deductible.

After "failing" the consumption test my dealer (Team Toyota in Langhorne, PA) took the engine apart and found a complete mess, and a new short block was needed or a replacement with a used engine. The warranty company knew they were on the hook, especially since my records showed that I had the oil changed on schedule since I owned it, but took their sweet time making a decision. So after a few extra days of waiting my rep. at the dealer read them the riot act and we finally got the engine rebuilt. So the $6000+ repair job was completely covered, and the dealer and the warranty company paid for the nearly 3 weeks of the "loaner" car.

I'm feeling pretty good right now, but I hope this engine lasts a nice long time. You just never know any more. Kudos to the dealer - I think the fact that they weren't paying for the repairs themselves made this a better experience than others since they were actually on my side.

Well I just found out the hard way about this oil buring issue at ~93,000miles.

I have been religious about changing oil every 3k mile and never though to compare teh volume out vs what goes in. This last change was closer to 5k as I got sidetracked and had not had a chance to change the wifes oil. I was shocked to see barely 1.2 qts of OW20 come out into my bucket!. How can the engine be down 75% in oil and NO engine oil light come on!. I am concerned I may have toasted the engine running it on such low oil. Thank you Toyota! The light just did start coming on but only under a hard brake as the oil would get pushed to the front of the oil pan. Under idle - no light. I just called the local dealer - of course they have never heard of it. Called the Customer service number as well to register a complaint. Now I'm worried the engine is going to blow!

Same problem as everyone else here with my 06 rav4 sport. Have had all maintenance through the dealer, take great care of the car. Went through the oil consumption test at 60k miles when oil light first came on. I was getting 1250 miles to the quart, Toyota said they would fix it at 1200 miles. Restarted the oil test at 80,000 miles. When I got home from the dealer the first day, I checked the oil and it was way high on the dipstick, they had massively overfilled the oil. So when I went in after 1000 miles they said I was now getting 2000 miles to the quart. I stayed with the car to make sure they didn't overfill and this time got barely 1200 miles before it was empty again. Broadway Toyota of Portland Oregon is clearly trying to cover this up, anyone else seeing dealers trying toHide the problem? I'm going to start using twitter to see if Toyota will respond.

I'm sorry to hear of all these engine problems. I have tried my best to work with Toyota Corporate office and have been told that it's not a recall, therefore, there's nothing they will do. I will never buy a Toyota ever again and actually get nauseous when I see a Toyota commercial on TV. Their sales are rising so to all the existing owners...good luck.

Hello , did you make and investigation to verify the original mileage of your car ?? perhaps there is something illegal concerning rewinding illegaly the meleage before saling to new customer ??? I know some thru story :shades: happen on recent toyota car,

If you really feel you have a case why not just sue Toyota? You don't have to wait for a class action, for which you would get little $$ out of that anyway, after legal fees were subtracted. That is unlikely to ever happen because every car/owner is different. Many owners fail to maintain their vehicles. Not always Toyota's fault.

It's true that some owners might not maintain their vehicle as well as others; however, in this case, there is a definite design that was changed in the 2AZ-FE engines that is directly related to excessive oil consumption. The technical service bulletin describes the fix as replacing the pistons and rings, that is, if the damage didn't go as far as the short block.Suing the manufacturer directly is also a very expensive option, that is if you can even find out how to do that. I was working with one of their "Executive Analyst's" and it was impossible to work around this person. If you can get past this barrier, I'm sure their corporate lawyers would create quite the challenge. My best option is to lick my wounds and never buy another Toyota. It sounds trivial but if everyone that experienced a failed engine with zero support from the dealer or manufacturer, then collectively, it would make a statement. After all, they are just a big business and money is the only motivator. There was a time when Toyota was customer focused. It's too bad they are so ignorant today. In my case, it wouldn't have taken much to help ease my financial burden but instead they chose to hide behind the statement "It's not a recall" therefore they don't acknowledge the problem.I wish everyone luck in pursuing support. It was an expensive lesson for me.

I had this same oil consumption problem with a 2009 Corolla CE which I traded off 3 days ago for a Rav4 6 cylinder and I am hoping that the six cylinder engines do not have the same problem. I am interested to know from others with 6 cylinder engines are also experiencing problems.

I have a similar oil burn problem in 2007 Rav 4 (4 cylinder) currently at 55k miles, This is the 3rd time I am taking the car to the dealer for the consumption test. My car is in extended warranty for 7 yr 75k miles.

I had the oil low indicator going on when i brake.

1st time the dealer (Woburn Toyota MA) said there is no issue and is within consumption limits. which I was not Ok with (I called toyota and they told me to take the car to the dealer again)

2nd time : The dealer said it bunt oil but is within consumption limit (In 1200 miles it went all the way from top of the mark to low mark in dip stick).

3rd time : I just left the car at the dealership it is really bad in 1100 miles the oil went from little above max level to close to the bottom end of the dip stick (far below the dip stick low level indicator).

I dont know what explanation the dealer is going to say this time, This is definitely a Toyota engine issue. I had done all my scheduled maintenance & oil changes at the same dealer so they have no reason to reject me.

I cannot keep changing my oil every 1000 miles once and hear from the dealer that it is withing the consumption limits, The dealer even tells me that I should be checking the oil every time I fill gas and top it off (which is unacceptable)

My 2006 RAV4 started burning excessive oil a year after I bought. My car now has 130,000 miles and I have to put oil every two weeks or risk damaging the engine. I want to be a part of any class action suit.

I own a 2008 Rav4 and my mileage is at around 73,000 my engine blow and cracked the Sansone dealership in NJ is trying every way to say it was my fault! I got my oil changed every 3,000 miles but not through Toyota now there trying to say its my fault and want receipts for every single oil change I ever did! I told them I don't have them and the Lube shops don't have any computers to print me out anything. There trying to make me pay for a $1000 just to look at the engine! I'm going to call the better business bureau and the news. I maintain my car I even have the extended 100,000 mile powertrain warranty and there still giving me a hard way to go.

I started to notice the oil thing at around 100k. I'm at 115k miles now and decided to trade it in. Just bought a 2012 Camry. The Rav has been a wonderful car up until the last 5k miles. It's too bad though because I had intended to pass it down to my daughter, she is driving a 2001 corolla, which is running better than this newer Rav . I won't pass it down now with this problem. It seems whenever I buy a new car big stuff starts to happen at 100k. Oh well. I hope it doesn't crap out on the way to the dealership tomorrow to get the new car ha!

Bought 2008 Rav 4-brand new from dealership and had all oil changes and maintainance done through dealership. Had trouble with the car from first day-the whole car shakes after you come to a stop, like it couldn't gear down properly( they always said they couldn't feel it-What!!), and have continual problems with the cruise control surging to high speed even on flat ground like it's trying to go up a steep incline (even after the computer update, it still does it) In January, all my lights came on and my oil light stayed on even though it wasn't time for my service. I had my husband check the oil and it was almost empty. I took it to the dealership and they said they weren't sure why it was doing that and they did an oil change and said to bring it back in 1200 miles for an oil check. I took it in today and there was only 1/4 of the oil still left. They tried to tell me this was normal until I pulled up this forum on my iphone and showed them the info. I park in my garage and have never had a drop of oil on the floor so they said it was probably burning oil. They told me they couldn't do anything about it as my car has 80,000 miles and is now out of warranty - I had to call the 800 Toyota number. Toyota told me they could not help me with anything except they would give me a customer loyalty deal if I wanted to purchase a new car from them. Told them I would never buy another Toyota again. I asked them if my only recourse was filing a class action law suit to get some retribution and they said "if that's what you feel you need to do." I'm forced to trade in my car that I took great care of b/c Toyota won't stand behind their product and fix something they obviously did wrong with the engine. If a class action starts- I want in on it!

I have a RAV 4, turbo Diesel 2.0 Y2004, with 155.000 Kilometers. It consumes about 1,5 litres of engine oil per 6000 kilometers. The fresh oil is totaly black after about 2.000 kilometers. [non-permissible content removed] this Toyota!

Example: Kia Sportage 2.0 Y2000 with 175.000 Kilometers consummed only about 0,5 litres of oil per 10.000 kilometers (!). Will buy Kia next time again.

According to a friend in the business (a long-time Toyota service writer), this excessive oil consumption is due to an oil ring issue that Toyota has known about for years. Apparently the oil rings, over time, gets caught up inside the ring groove in the piston and is not making contact with the cylinder walls as it should to scrape the oil back into the oil pan. The oil works past the compression rings above the oil ring and is burned during combustion. As far as I have heard this only happens on the 2.4 liter four-cylinder and not on the V6 engine. It's an appalling situation that would cost Toyota millions and they will not correct it voluntarily, as in a recall.

I am about to buy a 2008 Rav with a 4 cyl. What is your VIN or I can tell you mine, I may close the deal tomorrow. I want to see if this one is close to yours. I don't want to buy someone else's headache. Any help would be appreciated.

Update- I had my oil consumption problem fix, the cost was about $3,600 bucks. The issues were pistons and oxygen sensor. Thanks to my warranty company, carchex, they paid $2800 for the pistons and I had to pay the balance for the oxygen senor, which was damaged by the oil issue. Did everyone receive and submit their claim form for the brake override system. PLEASE DON'T PROCRASTINATE. It will help our case when we decided to file. Since they are having so many documented problems and issues, we can definitely start our case for the oil consumption.

Also, I called Toyota headquarters today 3/15/2013, and asked are they getting in complaints about the oil consumption. And once again, they stated no. I am finding this hard to believe.

My 2006 RAV is around the 90,000 mark and it has begun burning oil as well. Not to the extent of some of the other posters here, but it is definitely losing oil. I mentioned it at my last service (5000 miles ago) and they offered to track it for me, but I decided to do it myself. I will update them at my next service which is in about 900 miles. Perhaps if enough people complain, they will address the issue. I will subscribe to this thread to stay informed. Thanks!

To save yourself some time, tell them to do the oil consumption test. This involves, putting a plastic tie on the oil cap. They will ask you to return at 1200 miles to check the oil. When you return they will check your oil to see how much you are burning and it lets them know that you have not applied any oil to the car. Please, Please, do not let them trick you, "HOUSTON YOU HAVE A PROMBLEM." You need to start your contingency plan now because it only gets worst. If you dont have $2800 bucks to spend, I suggest you get a good car warranty plan.

I do have the same problem with my rav4/2006. Tomorrow I have to drop off the car at the dealer. They said they think is the pistons and since the guarantee ran out they will be covering for everything but $1000. Don't know if I should bring it somewhere else. Frustrating.